The Minority in Parliament has constituted a 7-member team to debate Vice-President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia should he accept their invitation to participate in debate in the House.
The caucus, in a statement dated July 24, 2024 and signed by the Deputy Chief Whip, Ahmed Ibrahim, extended an invitation to Dr. Bawumia to partake in the debate on the Mid-Year Fiscal Policy Review of the 2024 Budget Statement, commencing on July 25.
The invitation, they explained, follows the Vice-President’s call on leader of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama for a debate.
According to the Caucus, the rules of Parliament permit an incumbent Vice-President to partake in debates in the floor of the House.
The Minority believes, “this invitation presents Alhaji Bawumia an excellent opportunity and forum to debate and account for his stewardship over the last seven and half years as Chairman of the Economic Management Team”.
Taking on the Vice-President, the Caucus said it finds it perplexing that Dr. Bawumia would call for a debate considering what it said is a complete destruction of the economy by the NPP government.
“For a government that has completely destroyed Ghana’s economy, rendered 33.3% of Ghana’s population extremely poor, and about two million Ghanaians facing acute food and nutrition insecurity, according to the World Bank and 35% of Ghana’s youth unemployed (the highest in the Fourth Republic), the Minority finds it bewildering that Alhaji Bawumia still has the audacity to call for a debate on the economy.”
It added, “ That notwithstanding, the NDC Minority has lined up a crack team of debaters for the showdown with Alhaji Bawumia in the debating Chamber of Parliament”.
The 7-member team includes George Ricketts-Hagan; Chairman of the Committee on Economy and Development, Isaac Adongo; Ranking Member of the Finance Committee, Thomas Ampem Nyarko; Chairman of the Budget Committee and John Abdulai Jinapor, Ranking Member of the Committee on Energy and Member of the Finance Committee.
The rest are Eric Opoku; Ranking Member of Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs and Member of the Committee on Economy and Development, Laadi Ayii Ayamba and Joseph Bukari Nikpe.
The Caucus called “on the general public to prevail on Vice-President Alhaji Bawumia to avail himself of this invitation, if he is proud of his record, or he should forever keep his silence”.
